Sen. Athan Achonu, candidate of the Labour Party (LP) at the forthcoming Nov. 11 governorship election in Imo, has condemned Tuesday’s killing of eight security operatives in the state.
Yet-to-be-identified assailants killed the security operatives at Umualumaku in Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of the state.
In a statement he issued on Wednesday in Abuja, Achonu described the attack as reprehensible.
He stated that he received the news of the despicable murder with shock.
“The unconscionable murder of innocent security operatives in the line of duty is reprehensible, highly condemnable, and unacceptable in a modern society like ours.
“The latest onslaught in the recurrent sparks of violence is more condemnable because it happened in my own constituency.
“I feel particularly hurt by this carnage having invested millions of my personal funds to repair nine faulty armoured personnel carriers,’’ he stated.
Achonu added that five of the repaired armoured personnel carriers were supposed to be deployed in Okigwe zone of the state to ensure the safety of security operatives.
He stated also that the state government needed to explain the whereabouts of the vehicles and the uses to which they were deployed.
The candidate called on the state government to immediately deploy armoured personnel carriers in all areas for the safety of security personnel.
“It is inexplicable that Imo has become a war theatre and the epicentre of violence and bloodbath in the entire Southeast,’’ he noted.
Achonu also called on the Federal Government to rejig the entire security apparatus in Imo because Imo residents would no longer accept horrific waste of lives and property.
He condoled with the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Police Force and the entire security network and families of the fallen heroes.
He also pleaded to people shedding innocent blood to desist from such acts.
Achonu charged Imo residents not to surrender to the blackmail of the enemy of the people, but to remain resolute in their desire to enthrone light over darkness. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Source: News Agency of Nigeria